Onocentaur

Lore & Background

The onocentaur is described by Claudius Aelianus in De Natura Animalium, quoting an officer named Pythagoras from the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus. Aelian states that its body resembles that of an ass, with ashen color inclining to white beneath the flanks, a human chest with teats, and a human face surrounded by thick hair. It can use its arms to seize and hold things but also to run, and it has a violent temper and does not endure capture. The female form is called onokentaura.

Unlike a centaur, which is portrayed with four legs, the onocentaur is often portrayed with only two legs, and some artwork depicts it with no front legs on the donkey part of its body. According to some medieval authors, the onocentaur instead possessed the head of a donkey and the body of a man. The Life of Antony by Athanasius of Alexandria mentions a similar beast without using the term onocentaur.

In the biblical corpus, the Septuagint translators used the word onokentauros four times in the Book of Isaiah. Once it is used without any corresponding Hebrew word (Isaiah 34:11). Twice it translates some sort of 'island beast(s)' called ’íy (אִי; pl. ’íyyîm אִיִּים) in the original Hebrew, possibly jackal or hyena (Isaiah 13:22 and 34:14). The second instance in Isaiah 34:14 translates lîlîṯ (לִילִית), probably a female demon.

Reader's Guide

The onocentaur's significance lies in its presence across ancient folklore, medieval bestiaries, and biblical translation. Its first known mention dates to the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, recorded by Claudius Aelianus, who provides a detailed physical and behavioral description. The creature's inclusion in the Septuagint translation of the Book of Isaiah—four times—demonstrates its role in early biblical interpretation, where it rendered Hebrew terms for unknown or mythical beasts, possibly jackals, hyenas, or a female demon. Jerome's Vulgate preserved this interpretation, and John Wycliffe's early English translation glossed it descriptively, while the King James Version rendered it as 'satyr.' The onocentaur's legacy is thus tied to its adaptability in textual transmission, appearing in both pagan and Christian contexts without a single fixed form. Its varied artistic depictions—two-legged, no front legs, or donkey-headed—further underscore its fluid identity in medieval imagination.

Did You Know?

• The onocentaur is part-human and part-donkey, unlike the horse-bodied centaur.
• The first known mention was by an officer named Pythagoras during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, as quoted by Claudius Aelianus.
• The Septuagint uses the word onokentauros four times in the Book of Isaiah, translating Hebrew terms for unknown beasts or a female demon.